Monday, Jan. 30, 1950
Souvenir from the Boss
William Flanagan had long been a little curious about the locked drawer in his office safe. As deputy mayor of Jersey City, he sat in a seat once warmed by one of Boss Frank Hague's most trusted henchmen. Last week, rummaging through a filing cabinet, he found a key that unlocked the drawer. Inside he found the richest souvenir yet of Boss Hague's corrupt and efficient regime: six bound volumes labeled either "For" or "Against" and containing, on hundreds of pages of legal foolscap, the names of every home owner in Jersey City.
In all, some 17,000 names were carefully set down by Hague's 311 district leaders, with appropriate comments by gumshoeing ward heelers. The name of every city, state and county employee was underlined in red ink. Devoted Democrats on the approved list were ticked off with a terse "O.K." Waverers were put on the list for attention: "Need tax reduction here when, possible." But anyone rash enough to buck the machine got more extensive treatment:
"He's a damned Socialist . . . Republican, absolutely no good . . . Political agitator, always roasting party about taxes . . . Very insulting to Democrats. Says we are a den of thieves ... He votes all right now but the least thing may happen and he may change . . . Received favors, but proved ingrate."
The Gestapo, said Deputy Mayor Flanagan, could not have been more thorough.
This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.